Archive for the ‘Defamation’ Category

An Internet retailer called Full House Appliances expressed its displeasure when a customer posted a negative review on the ResellerRatings website. The company dispatched an e-mail to the commenter warning that libel is a prosecutable offense in Washington State where it operates, and it intends to pursue legal action absent a mutually agreeable settlement, the New York Times reports in its Haggler column. The e-mail asserts that the customer had violated Full House Appliance’s terms and conditions—requirements that all consumers must accept before ordering from the company. The Times quotes from the terms and conditions, including this one: “I understand that libel is a prosecutable felony in the state where FHA operates. I agree that if I intend to provide negative feedback, the only legitimate one is based solely on verifiable and documented facts, i.e., the e-mail, live chat transcript and all the terms and conditions…

Like this:

Toronto Police Const. Adam Josephs appears to take himself and his job seriously. Very, very, very seriously. He threatened a protester with assault charges for blowing bubbles. And now he’s suing a YouTube commenter for an 11-word wisecrack.

A video of Josephs getting comically tough with a young G20 protester (above) became a viral hit. “If the bubble touches me, you’re going to be arrested for assault,” Josephs told the protester. The officer was promptly dubbed “Officer Bubbles” and became the target of a series of YouTube parody cartoons of the same name. Joseph then filed a $1.2 million defamation lawsuit and is seeking to legally compel Google to revel the identity of the parody cartoon’s creator, plusthe identities of 24 people who commented on it. That’ll show them you’re not a humorless stick in the mud who wields that law against the pettiest of transgressions! (Needless to say, the parody cartoons are no longer on YouTube.)